The same disclaimer applies. I don't own any of these guys.
**********
With one thrust, he was able to bring his enemy down. Everyone watched in awe as one of the duelists beat the other with just one thrust of his bamboo sword.
"The battle has ended!" shouted one man with silver hair. "The winner of this fight is… Asakura Hao!"
Everyone cheered as the one held the winner took off his helmet and smirked. The loser, still sitting on the ground took off his helmet as well and sighed.
"That was one heck of a battle, nii-san!" Exclaimed the loser as he grinned at Hao.
"Likewise, little brother." Hao said as he offered his hand to his little brother.
Yoh took his hand and thanked his older brother. "But you didn't have to hit me that hard!" Yoh whined as he massaged his back.
His only brother only laughed at that comment and ruffled his hair. "Sorry, but I had to finish you earlier, or you would have beaten me." The older twin said as he laughed some more.
"Whoa… did you see that? Hao just beat Yoh with one hit! ONE HIT!" exclaimed one boy to another.
"Yeah… it's pretty obvious who's better." Replied the other.
"I know. The only thing similar about those two would be their faces." Another said. "Other than that, Hao's just way better.
And they continued to compare the twins, not even caring if Yoh and Hao heard them.
"Don't mind them." Hao said as he glared at the gossiping boys. Immediately, the boys stopped and cowered in fear. Yoh could only nod, but deep inside he knew they were right. Hao was always better than him.
**********
Yoh opened his eyes, and found out that it was already morning. Slowly, he roused from his bed and rubbed his eyes.
"That memory again." He murmured sleepily as he clutched his head.
Every night he was haunted by that same memory, of that day when he realized just how much a big difference his skills were compared to Hao's. He had never told anyone about this haunting dream, especially his brother.
Slowly, he made his way downstairs as soon as he finished taking a bath and wearing his uniform. It was the usual for him during school days. Wake up early in the morning, take a cold bath, wear his uniform, and then slowly go downstairs to make breakfast.
What he didn't expect though, was to see somebody already in the kitchen, making breakfast and wearing that apron he always wore when cooking.
It took Yoh a moment to realize that it was Anna wearing his apron while looking intently at the stove, making something. What surprised him though was that the blonde girl was currently wearing their school's uniform, the standard white blouse with matching green skirt.
"Cute." He thought as he continued to gaze at her, as she began poking what she was doing at the moment. And apparently she didn't notice him watching her for she was too preoccupied with her business.
Yoh was finally snapped out of his reverie when somebody threw chopsticks at him. Startled, he looked to his side to find Hao smirking at him, Seyram giving him a polite bow, and Redseb drinking his milk. Yoh also noted that Redseb's bowl was missing the chopsticks. Slowly, Yoh went to the table where the others sat and ruffled Redseb's hair. The little boy grunted and tried to evade Yoh's hand. Grinning (and satisfied by Redseb's annoyed huff), Yoh sat down next to his brother and waited for breakfast.
"Liked what you saw Yoh?" Hao whispered and chuckled as he noticed the tiny blush on Yoh's cheeks.
"Shut up, Hao." Yoh murmured back as he looked away and tried to hide his blush.
"Oh, I see you're awake." Anna said as soon as she noticed Yoh. "Breakfast will be ready soon. Please wait."
"You know, Lady Anna, you don't really have to cook for him." Redseb said as he combed his hair with his hand. "In fact, he should be the one cooking for you! You're the daughter of one of the heaven's greatest general!"
Anna didn't say anything but shrug. As soon as she was finished with whatever she was making, she slowly placed the food inside a bowl and made her way to the table. Everybody watched in anticipation as soon as Anna had placed the food she had made… And was startled with what they saw.
"It's gomokuzushi." Anna answered as everybody continued to stare at the food she served. "This would be my first time making food, so I had to ask Ryu for a couple of tips."
Everybody still watched in silence at Anna's dish. It was gomokuzushi, alright. But what they wanted to know was that why did the "gomokuzushi" have… eyes in it.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Anna asked as soon as she noticed nobody was eating her dish.
"Uhh… well, you see, Anna…" Yoh murmured as he poked the eyes with his chopsticks. "What are these exactly?"
"Oh… fish's eyes." She answered with ease. "Ryu said fish's eyes were good for the body, so I thought I should add them to the dish." She said as she took a seat between Redseb and Seyram.
"Is… Is this even safe to eat?" Hao asked as he shuddered. Apparently, one of the eyes was staring at him.
Even Redseb and Seyram looked afraid of the food. While Redseb looked like he was about to throw up, Seyram closed her eyes and held onto Anna really tight.
Nobody dared to move or comment any longer. They, except for Anna who still didn't know why everyone was suddenly quiet, stared at the eyes, as the eyes creepily stared back. Yoh continued to poke the eyes, until one of them managed to roll of the bowl and towards Redseb. And the young boy did what no one ever expected of him. He screamed like a little girl and backed away from the table as fast as his little legs could.
"What's with all the noise?" Asked somebody from upstairs.
Yoh looked to the source of the voice and was shocked to see Ryu, Faust and his wife Eliza by the doorway, looking sleepy and confused. He shifted his gaze to Anna, only to find out that she looked equally confused with them being there.
"Good morning Lady Anna." Faust said as soon as he and his wife reached the table. Eliza only nodded at Anna and Seyram.
"Lady Anna!!" screamed Ryu. "Good morning! Might I say you look very lovely in your new school uniform!"
Anna couldn't say anything else but instead she just stared. "What are you…?"
"Oh, I guess Redseb hasn't told you yet." Faust said as he smiled at their way. "He sent us a report last night, saying you needed adult supervision."
"Something to do with your 'rents not being here." Ryu added as he shrugged. Then, he noticed the gomokuzushi and Redseb cowering in fear at the corner. "What the heck is this" points at gomokuzushi, "and what the heck is he doing?" points at Redseb.
"That's Redseb, cowering in fear." Hao said as he too pointed at Redseb. "And that's gomokuzushi." Another point was directed at the food.
Ryu inspected the said food and scrunched his face in disgust. "What kind of an idiot puts fish's eyes in gomokuzushi?"
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, Anna made it." Hao said as he gave the "Elvis" man a smile. And with that, Ryu froze.
"What was that, Ryu?" Anna asked in a cold, cold voice. Ryu immediately twitched and looked to Anna.
"Uhhh… hahahahahaha!!! I was just kidding Lady Anna!!" Ryu stammered as he tried to explain himself. "I… I love fish's eyes in gomokuzushi! In fact, I'm gonna eat some right now!!" He said as he took Yoh's plate, placed some of the food, and quickly shoved it in his mouth. Moments later, Ryu choked on his food and fainted.
"I don't really get what's wrong with this food." Faust said as he ate a spoonful of gomokuzushi. "It tastes wonderful!" And he proceeded to take another spoonful of the food. Everyone, except Anna, couldn't help but shudder in disgust.
**********
After breakfast was over, Ryu had gladly offered to become their chef since he claimed he was the best f*cking chef in Senjuu's household.
"Even if you we are not in Master Senjuu's place, we are still your servants, Lady Anna." Faust explained as Anna was about to argue. "It is our job to serve you and your future husband."
And that's exactly what had happened, and both Yoh and Hao were just too happy to know Anna wouldn't be cooking for as long as Ryu was there.
Now the trio was off to school. Redseb and Seyram were forced to stay at the inn, regardless of their protests. Apparently, they were not allowed to leave the inn, unless Anna requires their assistance.
Anna was busy looking at everything around her, explaining to both Yoh and Hao that it was also her first time seeing a lot of huge buildings and honking cars.
"Ah, before I forget you two." Hao said as Yoh was explaining to Anna about this and that. "As much as possible, I want to keep your engagement a secret, alright?"
Both gave him a questioning look.
"Because you see Anna, Yoh here isn't the type of guy who would get any girlfriend, as much as he would try. People might get curious and will ask a lot about your engagement. And in turn, your identity as an angel might be exposed."
"Oh…" Yoh murmured as he glanced at Anna. "I get it now."
"I see." Anna said as she nodded a bit.
"Good to know you both understand!" Hao said, smiling at the two. "And if anyone is to be blamed here for this, blame Yoh and his inability to charm ladies and his lack of charisma!"
And with that comment, Hao laughed as evilly as he could, but then choked on his saliva. Yoh silently laughed as Hao coughed and coughed.
**********
Anna stared in awe at the school building. "I never thought schools would be this big." She murmured as Yoh smiled at her.
"Angels don't have schools in heaven?" He asked as Anna shook her head.
"We do. We simply call it 'Academy.'" Anna said. "But I've never seen it personally. I was home schooled."
"Really now?" Hao asked as he looked at Anna, who gave him a nod in reply.
"Well, I don't really get why we're all standing here, when it's much better inside." Yoh said as he took Anna's hand and led her to the school.
Hao couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Yoh drag Anna inside. "This would be the first time I've seen Yoh so excited to go inside." Shaking his head, Hao followed the two.
**********
"So this is our classroom, and over there is the comfort room, and then we have the clinic…" Yoh said as he pointed to the different places he just mentioned. He was giving Anna a quick tour around the school. He noticed though that Anna looked a little bit spaced out the moment they arrived inside.
"You alright?" Hao asked as Anna suddenly clutched her head and sighed softly.
"Yes." She murmured. "I just have a problem…. When it comes to places with too many people…"
"You sure? Cause you look really pale and…" Yoh was about to suggest taking her to the clinic, when somebody called his name.
"YOH!! My man!! How are yah??" Screamed a blue-haired boy around Yoh's age as he neared the trio. He stopped though when he noticed Anna. Then he quickly grabbed Yoh and ran off with the head phoned boy.
"What was…?" Anna asked as she looked at Hao for an explanation.
Hao only shrugged and said, "That was Horohoro, Yoh's best friend."
**********
The moment they were in their 'safe spot', also known as the boy's comfort room, Horohoro let go of Yoh, making the poor boy land hard on the cold tiles of the comfort room.
"Ow!" Yoh shouted as he massaged his buttocks. "What the heck was that for Horohoro?"
"Oho! You know what I want, Yoh." Horohoro said as he smirked. "Who was that pretty chick with you just now? Is she new? Where did she come from? Does she have a boyfriend? And more importantly, why was she with you and Hao?"
Yoh blinked as he digested those entire questions Horohoro managed to ask in one breath.
"Uhh.." Yoh started. "Her name's Anna. She's new. She came from Osorezan. No, she doesn't have a boyfriend, and… she's actually the daughter of a family friend?" He was a bad liar, he knew. He just hoped Horohoro wouldn't notice that.
"Hmm…" Horohoro murmured as he made a 'thinking pose.' "So she's single, eh?"
Yoh made a sigh of relief, since Horohoro didn't notice the lie.
"And YOU are going to introduce me to her, right Yoh?" The look on Horohoro's face was too determined, that Yoh couldn't help but nod.
**********
The moment Yoh and Horohoro found Anna, Hao was next to her, talking to a couple of giggling ladies. Hao said something again making the girls squeal in delight. Anna looked like she was about to get a massive headache.
"Anna!" Yoh called as he waved his hand. As soon as Anna found him, she wasted no time in running towards Yoh, a frown on her face.
"I see you've met Hao's fan girls." Yoh lightly commented as he grinned.
"Yes. And it was horrible. They were very loud and annoying." Anna murmured and groaned.
Yoh was about to laugh when he felt a poke behind him.
"Pssst!" Horohoro whispered. "You kind of forgot I'm still here?"
"Err… Oh yeah! Anna, this is my best pal, Horohoro, by the way." Yoh said as he gestured to Horohoro, who was behind him.
"Yo!" Horohoro said as he made a cool pose and winked at Anna. "My name's Horohoro Usui. I'm from Hokkaido, and I'm also a member of the Track team. It's very nice to meet you." And to complete his cool look, he gave Anna a smile and extended his hand, his teeth sparkling like those in the anime.
Anna only looked at him coolly, and then turned to Yoh. "What's a track team?" She asked. Horohoro looked like he was about to wither away.
"Well, you see Anna." Yoh said. "Here in Shinra high, all students are required to be part of a group or club. It's like a law or something in this school."
"Alright." Anna murmured as she 'hmmed.' "So in your school, students are required to join an assembly where they share the same interest, hobbies, or talents?"
"Well, that's one way of putting it." Yoh answered back, scratching his head.
Anna said nothing but gave Yoh a thoughtful look. Then she asked, "What club are you in then, Yoh?"
The moment she asked, Yoh suddenly froze and Horohoro gasped. Then Yoh mumbled something incoherent, turned back, and left without even looking back. Anna stood there; looking confused and immediately looked at Horohoro for an explanation.
"Uhh… Yoh doesn't really like talking about it." Horohoro said as he shrugged. "One moment he was so in to Kendo, even bought himself a bamboo sword and the Kendo uniform. Then the next… we just learned he quit. Nobody knows the full detail, really. Except maybe for Hao."
"Oh, so I guess I need to ask Hao." Anna coolly said as she placed her hands on her hips.
Once Anna had found Hao, who was still talking to a few more fan girls, she pulled the poor boy by the collar and dragged him to a more private area. The girls, of course, were angry by the sudden interruption, and were about to attack Anna, but said blonde girl only gave them a chilling glare. Obediently, the fan girls backed away and shuddered in fear.
"What's this all about?" Hao said as he frowned and adjusted his collar.
"Yoh." Anna answered as she stared at Hao. "What is up with him and Kendo?"
"You actually asked him about it?" Hao asked. Anna nodded in response.
"Well, I can't really say…" Hao said as he crossed his arms. "You're gonna have to ask him. But knowing Yoh, he won't really tell you anything important."
"So you also don't know anything about it?" Anna asked. Hao shook his head. "Fine. I'm going to have to talk to him." And with that, Anna made her way to where Yoh had gone.
"Hey! You don't even know where he is!" Hao called but Anna didn't look back.
**********
He sighed as he felt the cool breeze. He had always frequented this place whenever he needed some time to think. The rooftop was a perfect place, since it was always quiet. He sighed again when he remembered Anna asking that question. He knew he was going to have to explain it to her someday… But for now, he wasn't ready to tell all.
"There you are." Somebody said, snapping him out of his reverie. Yoh turned to the sound of the voice, to find Anna standing by the door.
"How did you find me?" Yoh asked looking shocked. Anna only gave him a shrug and murmured, "I guessed."
"So." Anna started as she neared Yoh. "What was that all about?" She meant his weird reaction, he knew. But what was he going to say?
"I- It's a little complicated Anna." Yoh answered as he switched his gaze from her towards the city. "I don't think you'll be able to understand."
"Oh really? Try me." She said as she too switched her gaze to where Yoh was looking. Yoh couldn't help but smile a bit at Anna's stubbornness. It was after all, one of the qualities he found cute on her.
"Let's just say… I got tired. Very tired." He said. Anna didn't say anything else but hummed. Silence reigned as neither wanted to talk some more.
"Well, whatever your reason is, I would want to know." Anna said, breaking the silence. "But if you think you can't say it now, I promise I'll wait."
Then she reached out her hand to him and gave him a smile. "I believe you aren't done with giving me the tour?"
Yoh grinned and took her hand. "Yeah, I guess so."
The two of them went back inside together, hand in hand.
"But I would like to know how you'd look like in a Kendo uniform." Anna said as she gave Yoh another smile. The boy could only blush at the look she gave him and promised he'd wear it someday. For now, things went back to normal for the two.
**********
AND DONE!! First of all, I would like to apologize for the very, very late upload. I had to prioritize school and all…. So I'm really, really sorry. Christmas vacation will be starting on December 22 for us, so I promise faster updates will be ready once we have our vacation. I also hope that this longer chapter (well, longer for my opinion) will compensate for my not being able to upload last week. Again, I am so sorry…
Marjocks: YAY! Glad to know I made somebody laugh ^_^
Yehey: Oh I see… For now I have Disgaea 2… Gawd, Adell looks freakingly hot! XD
Dana: Thank you so much for the advice. As you can see, English isn't my main language so I always have a hard time writing fics in English. And I know I'll sound totally stupid, but what's a beta? Can I download it somewhere?
Dbzgtfan2004: Dbz, as in Dragon Ball Z? :D And thank you for thinking it's a nice story.
Smart Angel: Yay! I made someone smile as well! And Senjuu as Tamaki… I'm glad you like that concept. ^_^
NG: Thank you. I'll watch as soon as Christmas vacation starts (waits patiently for December 22).
Djyxa: Nooooo!!! Don't do that to Redseb! Hahahahaha, naku nagkamali ako sa inilagay ko last chapter. I was supposed to say, how nice ng story ng friend mo. I kinda forgot the "friend." Hehehehe, and I do love Andy Boni (Andres Bonifacio). It's thanks to him, we got a free day. Oh, and belated sa sis mo. :D
Sorbetes: Ummm… So I guess no RenPiri, kasi implied na Reanne ang fic ko eh… Sorry po talaga sis…
Anyways, that's all! Thanks again to all those who reviewed and added my story to their alerts/ faves. And lastly…. My brother made a comment on my fanfiction avatar and he was like… "Is he gonna rape Anna?" And I was like… "Holy shi-! It does look like he will!"
